


The Courting of Day and Night

by rainier_day



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, M/M, widomaukweek2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-10
Updated: 2019-06-10
Packaged: 2020-04-23 23:55:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19161604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainier_day/pseuds/rainier_day
Summary: "Kiri, do you want me to read you a fairy tale? Caleb let me borrow one of his books. It's a very good story—maybe not as good as Tusk Love, but still very good."





	The Courting of Day and Night

**Author's Note:**

> Day 8: The Sun & Moon
> 
> Thanks to everyone on discord for the title suggestions. I am all out of titles for the next while.

In one of the rented rooms on the second floor of the Blushing Tankard, away from all the music and the drinking, Jester sits on the edge of the bed as she tucks Kiri in. When the little bird merely blinks at her, still wide awake, she asks, "Kiri, do you want me to read you a fairy tale? Caleb let me borrow one of his books. It's a _very_ good story—maybe not as good as _Tusk Love_ , but still very good."

"It's a _very_ good story," Kiri repeats, her eyes lit up with excitement. Snuggling in and making herself more comfortable in her bed, she chirps, “A fairy tale!”

Jester smiles and nods. "Yes, exactly.” Pulling out the book from her bag, she opens to the page she’d bookmarked earlier with a flower. “Okay, so this is a story about fairies! It’s called _‘The Courting of Day and Night’_.

“Once upon a time, there was a sun fey. He was bright like sunshine and during the day, he would walk the skies, making sure that no one was left in the shadows for too long. And then there was the moon fey. He was beautiful like a moonbeam and during the night, he would walk the earth, making sure that no one was lost in the darkness."

\--

From his perch high the night sky where his form has dimmed to a faint glow in the absence of the Sun, Caleb watches as the moon fey below dances and twirls, moonlight illuminating from his body. He would hop over lakes with hardly a ripple and roll around in fields of grass, his laughter and song carried upon the wind, blending seamlessly with the chirping crickets.

Every now and then, as this moon fey danced amongst fireflies, outshining them in every way, he would look up and wave at him.

And sometimes, when he was feeling particularly bold, Caleb would wave back.

\--

"One day, the moon fey decided he wanted to talk to the sun fey, who always watched him from above but never came down. So he climbed the biggest tree he could find. It went high up into the sky, even farther than the clouds! He jumped from branch to branch until he finally reached the very top.

“From the top of the tree, the moon fey was amazed at all the things he could see. Below, he could see all of the land and all the places he danced and explored. And above, he saw the skies where all of the stars seemed to twinkle back him, and, of course, the sun fey!"

\--

Caleb can't help but stare, stupefied, at the moon fey smiling up at him. Balanced effortlessly on his tippy toes atop the tree with his luminous grace, the branches up top barely bend under his weight.

Up close, he's even more beautiful than Caleb had previously thought. There's an ethereal glow to his skin and the twinkle of stars in his eyes, and Caleb wonders how and where so much _brilliance_ can be hidden during the day.

"Hello," the moon fey calls out.

He leans forward from his perch and points to himself questioningly.

The moon fey laughs. It's soft and lilting and Caleb imagines this is what starlight must sound like. "Yes, hello to you," he says. "I've been wanting to talk to you."

"Why?" Caleb calls back, raising his voice to compensate for the distance still between them.

Tilting his head curiously, the moon fey blinks those large starry eyes at him. "Why not? You're always sitting in the sky alone at night. Why do you stay up there? Can you come down and dance with me?"

Caleb shakes his head, kicking his feet idly. "I am not supposed to walk to earth. I would scorch it with my flames."

"Even at night?" the moon fey asks.

"I do not know," he admits. "But I am not to walk the earth. It is forbidden to my kind."

Hands folding behind him, the moon fey nods, understanding if a bit disappointed. "That's a shame. The land below is beautiful. And I would've liked to dance with you."

Although dimmed with the night, Caleb still feels the flame inside him flare up at the words. "I know it is beautiful. I watch it every night. Just as I watch you dance." A little shyly, he adds, "You dance like moonlight."

The moon fey smiles and looks past him towards the skies. "I can barely see you during the day. The sun is always proud and shining, and you, you're so brilliant I can hardly look at you. I must look like mere embers to you."

He arches a brow in disbelief. "You are the brightest thing I have ever seen. Even though you wax and wane, you outshine everything here—myself included."

A laugh. "You have not seen yourself shine. You literally light up the skies! May I know your name?"

"Caleb," he answers.

"Caleb," the moon fey repeats, nodding to himself. Then looking back up with that dazzling smile, he says, "Caleb, I'm Mollymauk."

\--

"The moon fey returned to the tree and climbed to the top every night to speak to the sun fey. They would talk about the music the wind played as it rustled the trees and the way the stars glittered when flipped on the surface of the lakes.

"The sun fey wanted to go down to the ground and dance with the moon fey, but the Sun made it clear that it was forbidden. So he stayed in the sky and the moon fey would show him his dances from the tree, and the sun fey would tell him about how the stars shied away during the day.

"Many moons went by and the moon fey continued visiting the sun fey, who waited eagerly on his perch in the sky. Until one day, from his seat in the sky, he looked down to the earth and watched the moon fey's light disappear."

\--

Off his perch and leaning over the edge of the clouds desperately, Caleb looks about frantically, trying to locate Mollymauk. But despite being the brightest thing he's ever seen, there's no hint of the moon fey anywhere.

He looks and looks until dawn breaks and even then, he walks the skies, searching. Caleb scans the face of every person in the land and lights up the darkest corners that he can reach but it's fruitless. The people simply go about their day and the corners are empty. He shines his light as far as it will go and still, no Mollymauk.

Eventually, dusk comes and the moon comes into view once more, full and bright.

Caleb doesn't return to his perch, still peering down to the earth below. If there was ever a time Mollymauk’s light would be visible, it would be tonight during the full moon.

And yet…

Nothing.

Mind made up, he walks over to the tree where they always meet and waits until the moon is near its highest point in the sky. Then taking a deep breath, he leaps down.

The fall is slow, the air around his feet gently guiding him to the earth. As he descends, he looks around and surveys the ground. The lands look dull and lifeless without the moon fey dancing through the fields and twirling over the lakes, and the winds are cold and biting without soft, lilting laughter to soften their edges.

Landing softly on the ground, with the moon lighting the earth around him, Caleb can immediately see signs of a struggle here. He follows the drag marks deeper into the forest, and then deeper yet, until even the moon's brightest beams are lost behind the trees.

In the darkness, he shivers and wraps his arms around himself to ward off the cold against his skin. Thumbs rubbing circles on his arms, he tries to bring himself a little comfort by imagining finding Mollymauk and maybe just getting one dance in before he’s needed back in the sky for the day.

Pushing farther into the woods, he continues searching.

\--

"The sun fey searched all night, deep in the forest where no light ever reached. This forest had never seen the warm light of the Sun or been touched by the softness of the Moon. So here, the trees were gnarled and hardened and the flowers thorny. He looked and looked until suddenly, he saw a faint light in the distance. It was a bright, beautiful light, both blinding and familiar.

"So the sun fey started running! He was so excited that he finally found the moon fey! He ran as fast as he could until he reached a clearing in the middle of the dark forest. And when he got there, he found the moon fey hurt. He found the moon fey really, really hurt."

\--

Caleb's heart goes cold at the sight.

Lying splayed on the ground surrounded by a group of humans is Mollymauk.

The moon fey isn't moving, his head lolled to the side, his normally bright starry eyes unseeing. There's a blade embedded deep in his sternum and liquid light pouring from the wound.

The humans don't notice him, their hands and mouths smeared with moonlight.

He sees red.

And then dawn begins to break.

\--

"There was a reason the Sun never let any of the sun fey on the ground. You see, sun fey may only give off a fraction of the Sun's brightness, but that's already too much for most things on the earth to handle. The trees would catch fire and whole towns would burn if a sun fey were to walk among them, so they never did.

“And this one—this sun fey, he was one of the Sun's brightest. But he never really knew how bright he shone. And as the Sun rose, he only grew brighter yet."

\--

The ground bursts into flames under his feet as he steps forward. The humans turn around, angry at first and then fearful as they shield their eyes from the brightness and watch the greenery around the sun fey dissipate into ash.

Caleb snarls and holds up a hand towards the group. One by one, the humans burst into flame, their anguished screams engulfed by the fire as their forms wither away to nothing.

He continues forward until he's standing in front of Mollymauk's body. The ground sizzles and burns as his tears drip off his face, as bright as molten lava. Taking the blade, he removes it with care and lets the metal melt and dissolve onto the blackened earth. And then he kneels down next to the body and weeps as the forest around them burns.

\--

"The sun fey was so sad. He didn't know how to help the moon fey. He had never seen a fey lose their light before. So he wept and asked the Sun for help.

“And as the skies began to brighten more and more, the Sun appeared. With the forest around the sun fey burnt away, rays of sunlight reached out to him through the forest where the Moon could not. The daylight filled him with the Sun’s radiance, making him shine even brighter. And suddenly, he knew what to do!

"He reached out and poured half of his own light into the moon fey."

\--

He doesn't know how long he waits, sitting in that burnt out crater he created and cradling the moon fey’s body. Suddenly, there’s a slight twitch and Mollymauk blinks slowly and turns his head, the stars in his eyes now dyed red with flames. Weakly, he raises a hand to find his. "...Caleb?"

Caleb grasps the hand and leans forward, his tears now running thick and sluggish down his cheeks. "Mollymauk? Oh, thank the skies…"

"Why are you on the ground, Caleb?" the moon fey whispers in wonder. "Won't you get in trouble?"

He manages a smile and shakes his head. "That does not matter. I just wanted to see you."

\--

"Even though the Sun helped him bring the moon fey back, the sun fey broke the rules so the Sun had no choice but to punish him. He knew this and accepted his punishment gracefully. The next day, the sun fey was taken and locked away in a hidden place high up in the sky.

"The moon fey heard about this and couldn’t bring himself to dance that night. Instead, he climbed his tree and begged the Moon for her help. The Moon loved her little moonbeam very much and she knew the sun fey was the one who found him when she could not, so she agreed and called the Sun for a meeting that night."

\--

Caleb stands before the eclipsed moon.

The Sun’s eyes are sympathetic even as his voice remains impassive as he says, "My beacon. My brightest. We are here tonight to decide your fate. Although it was for the sake of another, you walked the earth and brought harm to those below. For breaking those rules most sacred to us, the only suitable punishment is extinguishment."

"But it need not be," the Moon says kindly with Mollymauk by her side. Her voice is serene and melodic like the reflection of stars in a lake and Caleb suddenly understands where Mollymauk inherited his grace. "My dearest moonbeam came to me, pleading for your freedom. You saved his life at the cost of your own light, and for that, I am in your debt."

He bows his head. "I did not want his light gone from this world."

Mollymauk leaves the Moon's side and walks up to him, his eyes a beautiful mix of starlight and fire, and takes his hand. "I don't want you gone either." Turning back to their rulers, he says, "Whatever his punishment, let me take half."

Caleb frowns. "Mollymauk, no. The actions taken were mine and mine alone."

"Not alone. I wouldn't be alive without you so consider this life yours," the moon fey says, undeterred. "It would only make sense I got punished as well. We share the same light now, Caleb."

The Sun looks to the Moon and they seem to nod in understanding. "As stated, because your actions were for another, we have decided to grant you leniency. We will grant you a choice, my beacon. You are no longer bright enough to walk the skies as my daylight here in this land. As such, you will be cast out and live a mundane life with the mortals below. The moon fey shall suffer the same fate."

"But he has done nothing wrong!" he protests but Mollymauk merely squeezes his hand.

"It is not a punishment," the Moon says gently. "Rather, it is a chance. You two will be born with new names and lives, but unlike here, you will not be separated by earth and sky. You will reside on the same plane and should the fates be kind, you will find each other again. It is not guaranteed, but you will have the chance."

"The second choice," the Sun continues, his voice a deep rumble like lava splitting rock deep beneath the ground, "is to walk the skies at dawn from now on. You will no longer stay here on your perch but travel with me across the skies to herald the new day."

He swallows hard and glances back. "But you cannot see the moonlight at dawn... What will happen to Mollymauk in this case?"

The Moon smiles at her moon fey. "There is now a beautiful fire alight within you. You will come with me and dance the brightest dusks to welcome the night."

Mollymauk looks over and tells him, "This is your choice, Caleb. I will not stop you."

"We will be separated by more than the sky if we stay," Caleb says, swallowing hard. "We will be separated by the cycles of time and I will never see you dance again. We will never speak again."

The moon fey nods, tears like glistening jewels clinging to his eyelashes. "We won't. I will never see you light up the skies again. But if we are cast down, we will forget. We may live our entire lives never knowing each other."

He turns to face Mollymauk, holding both of his hands and squeezing tight. "That may be true, but even the smallest chance at spending a life with you is better than an eternity in the sky, forever a day apart. I know what my choice is. What is yours?"

Mollymauk smiles sadly. "I would give up eternity just for the chance to share a dance with you, Caleb. Although it scares me to think I won't know you, this light we share inside us is one and the same. I have to believe it will lead us back to each other."

Caleb nods and presses his forehead to the moon fey's. "I believe that as well. The land may be vast, but we will find each other, Mollymauk. And when we do, no earth or sky will ever separate us again."

They turn back to their rulers, hand in hand. "We have decided."

\--

"So the sun fey and the moon fey were cast down and reborn into mortal bodies. They lived different lives with different names. They had different families and different friends. But there was always something there that neither of them understood—a light inside that was always filled with love for someone they never met.

"The sun fey, who was no longer a fey, would find himself looking up at the night sky. He admired how gently the moon glowed and how the stars twinkled. And the moon fey, who was also no longer a fey, would find himself looking up at the clear blue sky. He admired how the sun shone and how the brightness never seemed to dim.

"Years went by until one day, they crossed paths. They didn't know each other, but when their eyes met, that light inside them seemed to _shine_. At once, they knew they finally found the person they spent their whole lives looking for.

“Now back together, they decided to travel the land, and sometimes, it even seemed like the sun and moon would help by lighting their paths. They explored everything from wide open fields to dark, dingy caves, spiraling deep beneath the earth and hidden from the sky. But they were never afraid because even though neither of them shone as brightly as they used to, when they were together, they were as bright as any star. The end!"

Closing the book, Jester smiles. "Did you like that, Kiri?"

Kiri nods, her eyes struggling to stay open now. "Maybe not as good as _Tusk Love_."

She laughs and puts the book away. "I know, but it was still a good story, yes?"

"It's a _very_ good story," the little bird says sleepily.

Pulling her covers up a little more and tucking her in, Jester gives her a kiss on the head and gets up, whispering, "Yes, I'm glad you agree. Now, it's time to sleep, Kiri. Goodnight. We'll see you in the morning."

Eyes closing, Kiri repeats, "Goodnight. We'll see you in the morning."

\--

Downstairs in the tavern, the band continues to play as the patrons continue to drink their night away. Emptying his tankard, Caleb looks up to see Mollymauk standing in front of him with an expectant look on his face. “Can I help you with something, Mister Mollymauk?”

Molly smiles and for a moment, Caleb thinks he sees stars in those crimson eyes. “I’m not sure, but I sure hope you can, Mister Caleb. Or, I sure hope you will.”

Setting down the tankard, he nods slowly, the alcohol putting him in a teasing mood. “This sounds very serious indeed.”

“Oh, it’s a _very_ serious thing that only you can do for me,” Molly says, putting on his best solemn voice though he fails to hide the grin on his lips.

He arches a brow. “Ja? What is it?”

“Give me your hand please,” Molly says, holding out his own hand. "I need a dance from you, Caleb."

"You _need_ one? That is very dramatic, Mollymauk."

“It’s very urgent,” the tiefling retorts, waggling his fingers impatiently. “I must have it.”

A smile threatens to break on his face as he takes the hand and pushes himself up to his feet. "Fine. But, just the one dance."

“Just the one?” Molly laughs. It's soft and lilting and Caleb imagines this is what starlight must sound like.

“Just the one, for now,” he replies with a quiet chuckle.

On the dancefloor, none of the other patrons pay them any mind. They face each other and as they begin to dance, Molly blinks, his lips twisting up wistfully. "How strange. I don't know why, but it feels like I've been waiting my entire life for this."

Caleb cocks his head a little, not quite willing to voice that same thought just yet. Instead, he watches the tiefling twirl around and smiles. "Mollymauk, you dance like moonlight."

**Author's Note:**

> Looks like that's it for Widomauk week! I can't believe it's done. We will now return to our regularly scheduled program--whatever that may be.


End file.
